No, it's not just an annoying question. I'm starting to think through the planning of a creative event, but it would require special equipment (i.e. a smart phone). So I'm just asking for a little input. When you go geocaching, do you take a smart phone with you? It doesn't matter whether you use the phone for caching, just whether you have one with you or not. I'm interested to see the numbers.

I do and I use both the phone and the GPS for caching. Love having live sat maps. Whenever I think about killing the smart phone, that's what I think I'd miss most. That and other nav since I get lost a lot.

I always have the phone with me. On rare occasion use it to locate caches when I'm in an area with no caches loaded into GPS. Have only used phone to navigate to a find a couple of times. Not recently.

I always have the phone with me. On rare occasion use it to locate caches when I'm in an area with no caches loaded into GPS. Have only used phone to navigate to a find a couple of times. Not recently.

I'm pretty similar... My phone is a smart phone, but I only use it to cache if I don't have my GPS and feel the urge (maybe a few times a year). I do use it while caching from time to time to look up more information on a cache that I can't find, like some of the recent log text, etc._________________Hmm...

I don't use my phone as a GPSr. I occasionally use it to access geocaching.com but mainly I just want to have it with me in case of emergency._________________Sig line? I don't need no stinking sig line!

That's so interesting to me that some of you don't really use your smart phone for caching even though you have one. Yeah I definitely want the Garmin for close in - but I use the smartphone heavily even when I have the Garmin with me. For example if I'm in a big park, I can look at the sat map, see where roads and trails are, where there are giant RIVERS or HIGHWAYS that would interfere with finding the cache .2 miles away, and where "I" am in relation to the caches and all these features. And on a bad signal day - I can see the cache is across from specific trees or landmarks, etc. Not to mention, I can find my way back to my car even though I as usual failed to mark it. : )

I cached for years with a dumb phone and just got a smart phone a few months ago. I still use my Oregon for most of my caching, but love having a smart phone and would never go back to a dumb phone. It is great for reading older logs and finding caches that are so new that they aren't on my Oregon. It is worth the extra cost to me.

That's so interesting to me that some of you don't really use your smart phone for caching even though you have one. Yeah I definitely want the Garmin for close in - but I use the smartphone heavily even when I have the Garmin with me. For example if I'm in a big park, I can look at the sat map, see where roads and trails are, where there are giant RIVERS or HIGHWAYS that would interfere with finding the cache .2 miles away, and where "I" am in relation to the caches and all these features. And on a bad signal day - I can see the cache is across from specific trees or landmarks, etc. Not to mention, I can find my way back to my car even though I as usual failed to mark it. : )

All of those things are the one reason I would like to have a smart phone, BUT it would increase our plan charge by a good $30 a month, and we just can't see spending an extra $360 a year just for that when we have pretty much everything else we need on our non-smart phones (email, internet, etc. - just not good enough internet to get satellite maps and stuff)...

I too have a "dumb phone". I take it caching for two reasons. One for those rare occasions where I might need a paf. And two, in case I get injured and need rescue.

As others have said it's to expensive to own one of those fancy phones. I don't care for caches that require them. And I hate texting. I try to explain to young people we have the technology to send are voices through the air. That's new technology. Texting is OLD technology, we used to call it Morse code.

And I hate texting. I try to explain to young people we have the technology to send are voices through the air. That's new technology. Texting is OLD technology, we used to call it Morse code.

YES! I am also not a fan. I can talk directly to you, or leave you a quick voice mail, in half the time it takes to type out what I want to say and with less confusion (since you get to hear full tone of voice and everything). I do not understand the appeal...

Our phone just makes...phone calls. Didn't pay for the texting plan. We have just one between the two of us and sometimes we even remember how to turn it on. You could plan your event, and maybe the Luddites could connect with the people who have the right stuff, but it might limit your participation. I'd still give it a try...you never know. Seems like most of our caching friends do have that technology.

Others have talked about the advantage of the maps, and it does sound cool, but when we started playing, you basically knew coordinates, what size it was and maybe a hint. No autorouting, none of that. We still pretty much cache that way. Adds to the surprise element we enjoy in this game.